Mom hasn't called, and why are we watching the VMAs?
When the NYFW front row is more entertaining than culture's biggest night, MTV has a big problem
The rumors are true: like Beyoncé, I did not attend (or watch) the VMAs last night.
Despite its declining relevance and viewership over the years, I routinely make room to watch live—a testament to my somewhat scholarly interest in celebrity culture. Last night though, with the show beginning at 5pm PT, I opted for a more impactful use of my time: a post-work, cross-platform doom scroll.
Throughout the night, I caught some highlights from the show online—Tate McRae being best dressed, until I realized she was cosplaying as VMAs Britney; Madonna loaning Sabrina a past Oscars look; Camilla Cabello’s attempt at a shocking return to brunette, moving no one; Tyla seemingly asking Halle Bailey to hold her moon person, while accepting her Best Afrobeats award; Halle rightfully saying: 😀 no, in return.
Highlights might be too strong a word.
There was a time when the VMAs had a very intentional value proposition: create, reflect and amplify celebrity discourse on one of culture’s biggest stages.
Take one of the most iconic moments in VMA history: 2003, Madonna invites rivals Brit x Christina to join her performance of Hollywood. Three of the biggest women in pop music have an innocent (back then, revolutionary) three-way kiss in front of a wedding cake, while a then-tolerable Justin Timberlake tries not to react.
More recently-ish, in 2015, VMA host Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj played into their tabloid drama, which stemmed from comments Cyrus made about Nicki’s response to her video ‘Anaconda’ being snubbed for video of the year: What I read sounded very Nicki Minaj, which, if you know Nicki Minaj is not too kind. It’s not very polite.
Rather than letting the tabloid back and forth end in print, someone—a VMAs producer, Nicki’s team, Miley’s team, or possibly Nicki herself—decided to give the fans at home something to discuss, tweet and remember. While accepting her award for Best Hip Hop Video, Minaj addressed Cyrus directly from the stage. You can probably recite the words from heart. I barely remember the words to the pledge of allegiance, but I will always remember: And now… back to this b*tch that had a lot to say about me in the press. Miley, what’s good?
Miley’s response: Nicki, congratu-f*ckulations, followed by a swift flip of her platinum blonde faux locs. We truly had the best of both worlds in the Queen of Rap and Queen of Disney Channel playing up their beef for our own entertainment.
Point me to a moment last night, or in the past ten years, that moved the internet this way.
To be fair, Sabrina Carpenter came close. A dazzling VMA main stage debut, very much earned. Last year, she performed her hit ‘Feather’ during the pre-show. Since then, she’s had a trio of Top 5 hits, a #1 album in Short n’ Sweet, opened for Taylor Swift and sold out her own headlining tour. The girl is working, and her performance last night—which featured a kiss with an alien many are calling a reference to Donald Trump’s bizarre comment regarding ‘transgender operations on illegal aliens'—reminded me of past VMA performances and moments. Conversation-inducing. Memorable. Meme-able.
The show otherwise felt flat, but I don’t think MTV is fully to blame. There’s a larger shift at play making it very difficult for them to do their job.
It used to be seen as part of celebrity code to leverage your real life image and experience as an extension of your entertainment offering. Even offstage, you were meant to entertain the masses. Now we’re in an era of Chappel Roan, who while enjoying a career peak, does not want to deal with the celebrity of it all—telling paparazzi to ‘fuck off’ on carpets; telling her fans not to approach her IRL.
Although social media has removed the barrier between celebrity and fan, I’m noticing a new rank of celebrities setting their own boundaries.
Earlier this week, Beyoncé told GQ France, “One thing I’ve worked extremely hard on is…ensuring my personal life isn’t turned into a brand. It’s very easy for celebrities to turn our lives into performance art. I have made an extreme effort to stay true to my boundaries and protect myself and my family. No amount of money is worth my peace.”
She then goes on to say fame can feel like prison.
It’s unsurprising that Beyoncé, who we only see when she wants to be seen—and even then, has gorilla grip control over the narrative—is so averse to making her life and image the discourse. The joke. The gag.
It isn’t MTV’s responsibility to shape how celebrities choose to engage with the media, but this shift is certainly their problem.
Celebrity culture used to be on display in limited settings, like the VMAs. Now it’s on display, and easier to consume online, at a wider range of events—front row at New York Fashion Week, the US Open, even the Sushi Park balcony in Los Angeles.
A twelve second clip of Rihanna cold-shouldering Naomi at the Alaia show in New York last week made more noise than two+ hours of VMAs programming last night. The clip’s been dissected to death: the enthusiastic hug with Edward Enninful, Naomi suppressing her annoyance, Law Roach taking it all in; all punctuated by the clacking of Rihanna’s stilettos as she took her seat draped in a custom mesh off-the-shoulder wrap.
If the core tenants of celebrity culture—hierarchy, relationship dynamics and historical context, among other things—are on greater display (and elegantly manipulated for viewers benefit) away from the VMAs, does it even have a purpose today? For the past twenty years, the show hasn’t been about music. And now, if it’s not about the celebrity narrative, what reason does anyone have to tune in?